SAVANNA, Ill. (WCMH) – A young animal lover in Illinois didn’t want presents for his birthday.

Dalton Shaw, who just turned 5, instead asked guests to bring supplies for rescue dogs and cats at local shelters to the bowling alley where he had his party.

Dalton was flooded with items for the rescue animals. His father took a photo with his son posed in front of all the pet food he received from his party.

Dalton’s mother Stephanie told the Huffington Post that her family has donated to local shelters in the past.

She said that Dalton had received a lot of toys and presents for Christmas,so she suggested they do something a little different for his birthday and give back. That’s when the 5-year-old said he wanted to help the animals.

Dalton collected large amounts of food for the animals,but also got about $255 in donations for the shelters. His mother told HuffPo he was ecstatic about that.

“The response was overwhelming,” Shaw said. “I had expected a little bag of treats from people here and there.”

Dalton’s parents also asked him if he wanted a personal present, but he declined and just said he wanted to help the animals.